Securing a seat for Sharma

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma’s Rajya Sabha term is coming to an end. Sharma is a member of the House from Himachal Pradesh. But, as the BJP is ruling the state, he can’t get a re-nomination. According to Congress sources, he is looking at one of the four states — Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh — to return to the Rajya Sabha. The party will calculate the regional balance in the Cabinet and the number of ministers already representing these states before deciding on Sharma’s nomination.